Legal Expert: Recent Trials in Syria Are “Sham” and Do Not Meet International Justice Standards

In an exclusive interview conducted by our agency with Professor of International Law Khaled Jabr, he stated that the recent trials held in Syria involving individuals accused of committing violations in the Syrian coast are “sham trials” that did not rise to the level of justice required under international law.

Jabr explained that the trials targeted individuals who, according to him, had been operating under the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, describing what took place as a “theatrical farce” lacking the minimum standards of justice, despite the presence of “conclusive evidence” proving that violations did occur in the Syrian coast.

The legal expert questioned the absence of prosecution mechanisms and the lack of representation or presence of victims’ families during the court sessions, saying that the procedures followed were “far removed from reality and legal logic,” and that the investigation sessions were not based on any recognized legal methodology but were conducted “under political directives,” as he put it.

Jabr pointed out that, according to international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and their additional protocols, the acts committed against civilians in the coastal region and in Sweida amount to “war crimes and killings on the basis of identity,” citing reports issued by international human rights organizations that held officials within the Ministry of Defense responsible for the violations.

He added that the trials were held “without the oversight of the victims,” and that they reproduced the same approach that had been followed before December 2024, considering that the absence of genuine accountability represents a “serious deterioration” in the human rights situation in Syria.

He noted that the violations documented by international investigative committees in the coastal region and Sweida require, according to the principles of international law, the establishment of an independent judicial mechanism or a special international tribunal to ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment, stressing the need for United Nations oversight over any future judicial process.

Jabr concluded by saying that “transitional justice in Syria remains absent,” and that achieving it requires holding accountable all those involved in the violations, and restoring justice to the victims who “continue to suffer from the consequences of massacres, identity-based killings, and demographic changes” that have affected various areas of the count